Friday, 14 February 2014

Welcome back, dear readers, another week in shoe land flies past. I love my job! Shoemaking is amazing and I love it. How many people can say that? I am blessed and lucky. And on the theme of love, hope all of you with a romantic heart have a wonderful St Valentine's Day.

Last week we talked about our Intensive Shoemaking courses for 2014. This week it's the turn of pattern making.

The basis of a good upper is the pattern. Done well, it makes the life of the shoemaker so much easier. Done badly, it makes our life hell! We can fix most problems in the lasting process, but if you can make a good pattern, you are half way there.

Our courses are aimed at those of you who want to make shoes on a small scale - bespoke shoes; shoes for yourself; for friends; people who work on their own in their spare time. It is the kind of pattern making we do because each last we use is specific to each customer, and each pair of shoes we make is also a unique design. We use kraft paper, but thin card can also be used. Our patterns look like this

Patterns For A Pair Of Saddle Oxfords

These courses are not aimed at the industry where slightly different rules apply to pattern making.

We run three courses a year, two in London and one in New York. They are scheduled to run before the corresponding Intensive Shoemaking Course and students can do both in a three week period.

And, if you decide to both, we offer a £250 discount on the total price

The remaining dates for this year are

New York 28 April to 2 May, 5 days from 10am till 5pm, 35 hours class time, £775

London 28 July to 1 August, same timings as above, £775

Our teachers, Fiona Campbell and Jesse Moore are specialists in their field with years of bespoke pattern making between them.

During the course, you will learn the basics of pattern making - edge treatments; seam allowances; designing on the last; making a paper mean form; making a standard from the last; and creating pattern pieces from the standard.
You will make patterns and lining patterns for a court shoe, Oxford and a Derby (gibson).

So if you want to make shoes and are struggling with patterns, this is the course for you.

There is practical information, a course outline and booking forms available on the following link.